During the past week I've found myself recommending the book "Overachievement" to about six different people. It's a great book and very relevant to what we do in CrossFit and it also flies in the face of conventional wisdom on performance and sports psychology. This book is all about achievement and performance, not only in the gym, but in business and in life. It's a great read - worth the time and money.

Here's an excerpt from Amazon with a little description:

"Relax. Set goals. Focus on the outcome. Lose yourself to the Zone. All reasonable, sensible advice when you are facing a big presentation at work, a crucial point in the game, or any kind of career-launching performance. And all utterly, hopelessly, wrong.

According to John Eliot, Ph.D., “Such self-improvement balderdash will do nothing but relegate you to a career in mediocrity.”

As Dr. Eliot has discovered through his cutting-edge research and real-world coaching, techniques such as goal-setting, relaxation, visualization, stress management, and flow just don’t work for most people. Relaxing when the pressure is on is the wrong way to go. Instead, to really ratchet up your performance, you’ll need to change the way you think about pressure—and learn how to welcome it, enjoy it, and make it work to your advantage.

Mixing scientific insights with entertaining and inspiring stories, Overachievement will help you achieve spectacular success in any situation that demands you rise above and beyond what you ever thought possible. BACKCOVER: “The antithesis of every self-improvement guru.”
—Jim Pawlak, Chicago Tribune

“[Eliot’s] upfront conversational tone makes his advice not just palatable but convincing. Even if they don’t achieve superstar results right away, readers from all walks of life should find it easier to hone their concentration and work a little harder.”
—Publishers Weekly "

Check out the other books we recommend, as well -- Recommended Reading